Mechanical piano-player.



No. 755,098. PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904 G. BARTHEL.

MECHANICAL PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

7 77 A V I VIIIIIIIIIIII/l) -NJW No. 755,o98.

UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904.

PATENT ()EEIcE.

MECHANICAL PIANO-PLAYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,098,- dated March 22, 1904;;

Application filed March 31, 1903.

T0 aZZ whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV BAR'rI-IEL, a sul ject of the King of Saxony, residing at Dresden, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Piano- Players, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to improvements in mu sical wind instruments, and relates more especially to improvements in key-actuating mechanical wind instruments known as mechanical piano-players; and the object of the invention is to provide simple but efi'ective means for enabling the operator to accentuate certain passages more than others, shading thereby the tune-piece and giving it an individual emotional expression and artistic finish not obtainable with the constructions now in use.

I obtain the desired effect by interposing a special valve between the wind-chest and the channel leading to the small key-bellows for the purpose of being able to directly draw the air out of the-small key-bellows by rapidly actuating the respective footpedal, causing a stronger sucking action than with the other bellows, which suck indirectly through the interposed wind-chest in the usual manner. This additional valve upon direct suction tak ing place automatically closes the inlet-port to the wind-chest.

In order to make the invention more readily understood, I have illustrated it on the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 of which represents a sectional view of the arrangement in the position of rest. Fig. 2 is a like section in the position when sucking through the wind-chest, and Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view of the parts when sucking direct from the small key-bellows.

a is the wind-chest, mounted on plate 6, to the under side of which the sucking-bellows (Z a are secured by means of hinges f and which are connected to the foot-pedals by means of rods or the like g. The bellows of the wind-chest are held distended by springs 0, and springs '21 tend to ordinarily contract the sucking-bellows (Z a.

Each bellows has outlets Z, with flap-valves 7:.

Serial No. 150,430. (No model.)

In the lower wall of this casing p is provided an aperture 01, with flap-valve t.

The operation of the described mechanism is the following: If the bellows e is extended by pressing down the respective foot-pedal ]L, the air will be sucked directly out of the channel s, leading to the key-bellows, the valve 6 opening downwardly into the casing 19 and the valve 0 on plate Z) closing, as shown in Fig. 3. The more vigorously the foot-pedal is actuated, the more forcibly the air will be sucked out of the small key-bellows, causing the keys to strike correspondingly more forcibly. If the other foot-pedal is worked, the air is sucked out of the small key-bellows indirectly through the wind-chest a, the valves a and 0 opening in this case.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mechanical piano-player, the combination with the channel leading to the keystriking action, of a casing communicating therewith, a wind-chest communicating with said casing, a pair of sucking-bellows, one of said bellows communicating with said windchest, the other of said sucking-bellows communicating with said casing, said bellows being provided with suitable outlets, and means for opcratingthe said bellows, substantially as specified.

2. In a mechanical piano-player, the combination with the channel of the key-striking action, a casing communicating therewith, a wind-chest communicating with said casing by a suitable port, a valve opening into said windchest provided for said port, a sucking-bellows communicating with said wind-chest by a suitable port, a valve opening into said sucking-bellows for said last-named port, a second sucking-bellows communicating with said casing by a suitable port, a valve opening into my invention I have signed my name in presenee of two subscribing Witnesses.

GUSTAV BARTHEL.

l/Vitnesses:

RUDOLF SCHMIDT, PAUL E. SOHILLING. 

